Marco Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles and candidate for Florida's U.S. Senate seat, invoked the American dream during the weekly Republican address.

As the son of immigrants, Rubio said he knows first hand what it's like to "lose your country."

"[T]he policies coming from Washington are scaring the job creators. They have created tremendous uncertainty about the future," Rubio said, touching on a number of hot-button issues, including cap-and-trade, card check and the stimulus.

The GOP's choice of Rubio to deliver the weekly address shows the role Florida could play in the upcoming election. Many political pundits say Florida could determine which party controls the Senate.

Watch Rubio's address below.

“Hi, I’m Marco Rubio.

“It’s an honor to talk to you today about the direction of our country.

“About the decisions being made in Washington that will determine what kind of nation we leave to our children.

“America is the greatest country in the history of the world. But that didn’t happen by accident and it won’t continue automatically.

“Today the American Dream is threatened by out of control politicians in Washington, who think that more government deficit spending is what it takes to grow our economy. That has never worked anywhere it’s been tried and it won’t work now.

“Now for some it may be hard to imagine that the American Dream could actually be at risk, but as the son of exiles I know firsthand that it is possible to lose your country because my parents lost theirs.

“They came to America with virtually nothing. My Mom worked as a factory worker, a maid and a stock clerk at K Mart. My Dad was a bartender. They made many sacrifices so we would know opportunities they never did.

“But you see our story is not unique. It’s the story of America. It’s our history. It’s our common heritage.

“Will we remain that type of country? Well that depends on the decisions we make right now. America’s greatness is threatened by the economic policies coming from Washington DC. Simply put, they are taking us in the wrong direction. But it’s not too late to do something about it.

“You know, for the last two years I’ve traveled Florida, listening to the concerns of everyday Americans, and discussing ideas to bring real change to Washington.

“And over and over, I heard the same message.

“Like most Americans, Floridians are frustrated with arrogance in Washington. And they have had enough of the failed stimulus, of record deficits, of reckless spending, and of economic policies that are killing jobs.

“You know, since the stimulus was passed, more than 200,000 Floridians have lost their jobs. And for the first time in our history, more than one million Floridians are out of work.

“People have every right to be upset. But in the midst of this frustration and anxiety, there is also great resilience.

“Tired of finger pointing and sound bites, they want real solutions. They want an alternative to the direction Washington is taking our country and that alternative really isn’t all that complicated.

“First, Washington needs to realize that politicians don’t create jobs. Jobs are created by everyday people from all walks of life who start a new business or grow an existing one. The job of government is to create an economic climate that encourages the job creators.

“But the policies coming from Washington are scaring the job creators. They have created tremendous uncertainty about the future.

“And that’s why we must prevent the massive tax hikes set to take effect at the end of the year. Tax increases which would be the largest in America’s history.

“And it’s time, once and for all, to abandon ideas like cap-and-trade and card check.

“Second, we need Washington DC to stop spending more money than it takes in.

“And that means ending the failed stimulus and using the leftover funds to pay down the debt.

“And finally, we must repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a plan that will lower health insurance costs for Americans without bankrupting the nation.

“Replace it with a system that promotes competition, allows people to keep the coverage they already have, and gives individuals the same tax breaks that businesses get when they buy healthcare insurance for their employees.

“We are truly at a crossroads. Our children will either be the most prosperous Americans ever, or they will be the first to inherit a diminished country.

“If we stay on the road Washington has us on right now, we will lose our exceptionalism and our country will become no different than any other country in the world.

“But if we embrace free enterprise, if we accept spending discipline, well then America’s future will be brighter than her history. And we will secure for our children what they deserve to inherit. The greatest nation in all of human history.

“Thank you for listening, God bless you and your family, and may God continue to bless the United States of America.”

is said about the 6 years of Republican control of Congress and how little was done for the middle class and poor. I understand the mantra of "hopes, dreams, opportunities and free enterprise" is a ruse of the carrot hanging from a stick to chase after. Conservatives seem to appear to be mostly competative greedy capitalist. The efforts against healthcare were to oppose restricting the increase in costs and premiums the providers can charge to the insured.
You can bet that when they regain majority we will see elimination if not major revision of healthcare, soc.security, medicare, abortion rights, elimination of anti-trust laws, restriction of current personal rights, outlaw any and all unions and a return to segregation and discrimination of non citizens, minorities, citizens without a college degree,continued Supreme Court decisions that are biased in favor of conservative views. Mr. Rubio sounds like a nice person - but I don`t want him as a Senator representing ( the rich and conservatives only) Florida.

Rubio wants to continue the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, saying they create jobs. Where are the jobs? He wants to cut social security benefits to pay for it! Rubio's abuse of republican credit cards, under fed. investigation,and foreclosure on his own home, make him financially inept! "drill, baby, drill" puts him in the pocket of big oil [a large funder of his campaign] plus wanting to cut social security, he is not for Florida!